Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
The Most Holy Trinity 2020
(Admission of Samuel French and Rogelio Delmonte
as Candidates for Sacred Orders)
La Planète des singes, known in English as Planet of the Apes, is a science fiction novel written by French author Pierre Boulle in 1963. Adapted into a film in 1968, it has become one of the great successes in media franchise. The original film, which I remember watching with two of my sisters when I was a kid, remains my favourite. I remember being fascinated by a story where rational beings are silent and irrational beings speak. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that the world, as we know it, is inverted.
Religion is reduced to despotic enforcement of law by overlords while the masses mechanically and fearfully adhere to rules and regulations. Society is reduced to the crudest form of life, which is sustained, primarily by an infantile system of reward and punishment.
At one point in the film, Taylor, the human character played by Charlton Heston, cries out, “it’s a mad house, a mad house” as he comes to the realisation that life, as he knows it, is no more! The shock of this reality grips the character who comprehends that both society and religion have been reformed by Apes. Power and position, prestige and privilege, are the order of the day. Relationships filtered through this new paradigm, offer little space for love, respect for life, or the dignity of others. It is indeed a mad house!
Contrast this image of the world with the one described by Saint Paul in the Second Letter to the Corinthians (2Cor 13:11-13). What Paul offers is a glimpse of the kingdom of God – present in our midst. Happiness and perfection, service and unity. This worldview is not a human model; rather it is of Divine origin. It is the blueprint of the Blessed Trinity. When we speak about the Kingdom of God, we are not talking about a place. We are, in fact, referring to who God is. God’s reign is fundamentally about God, and it has implications for how the Christian lives.
Today’s feast allows us to probe the mystery of God, and to see God. We can only gaze on the face of the Father if we look through the eyes of Jesus. And to see through the Saviour’s eyes we must first follow him as beloved disciples. To be the beloved disciple of Christ we must live a life according to the power of the Spirit.
Again, Saint Paul instructs the community of the Church in a significant way. While referring to the Trinity, he identifies and names essential gifts of grace: “The grace of Christ, by which we are justified and saved; the love of God the Father, by which we are united to him; and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, who distributes the divine gifts to us” (cf Aquinas, Commentary on 2 Corinthians 544). These divine graces reveal to us that God is love, fellowship, and communion. The Blessed Trinity is the model of life and holiness for us.
In light of this revelation, we call and admit Samuel French and Rogelio Delmonte as Candidates for Sacred Orders.
My dear brothers, as formation always takes place in the Church community, and is the work of that community, it is appropriate that you are being called in the presence of Christ’s faithful from the parishes of Woy Woy Peninsula and Hornsby Cathedral. Here you are among the priests and parishioners who help form you in the faith. The People of God assembled here are members of the community of the Church of Broken Bay, to which you belong. They share responsibility for priestly formation at different levels (Ratio: The Gift of the Priestly Vocation, n.127).
The path that lays before you is not solely one to ordination. It is a path that you will walk accompanied by the community of the Church. The people of Broken Bay will accompany you as you are configured more closely to Christ. They will pray for you as you prepare to lay down your life for their sanctification – in the same way that Christ gave his life on the Cross. The faithful of Broken Bay share your hope in the promise of Christ, who rose from the dead. They seek to find Him, crucified and risen, in your life because He alone is priest, altar, and sacrifice (cf Hebrews 5:5-10).
The priesthood to which you are called is always the priesthood of Christ. Moreover, while your vocation is intensely personal, it is always lived out in the community of the Church. Your public commitment gives witness to the fact that God’s Holy Spirit is alive and active in you. The Spirit is shaping you into the image of Christ. Your heart is being formed into the Heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd. Somewhat paradoxically, as Christ increases, you diminish and yet as you diminish in yourself, you increase in Him. This, my dear brother, is the unique pattern of priestly life.
On this great Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity, we pray that the grace, love, and fellowship of God, three-in-One, will come upon you and our Church. That is the work of today’s liturgy.
“Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.” (Apoc 1:8)
AMEN.
Samuel French was admitted as a Candidate for Sacred Orders during the 5PM Vigil Mass at Saint John the Baptist Church, Woy Woy on 6 June 2020.
Rogelio Delmonte was admitted as a Candidate for Sacred Orders during the 9.30AM Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara on 7 June 2020.